Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Louis Ferebee visited the Eliza Blaker IPS School 55 Pre-School on Indy’s northside to help sell the Mayor’s proposal for having Indianapolis home property owners pay increased property taxes to fund pre-school for four year olds. Afternoons with Amos Host Amos Brown attended the event and press conference. And for the first time in nearly three years Amos was able to ask questions of Mayor Ballard about his pre-school and anti-crime proposals.

But what captured the attention of Afternoons with Amos listeners was how the Mayor answered or didn’t answer Amos’ questions and questions from other reporters at the press conference. Mayor Ballard wouldn’t comment on whether he had talked with Democratic City-County Council members about support his pre-school proposal. The Mayor wouldn’t answer a direct question on the fairness of some Indianapolis taxpayers paying the full cost of the Mayor’s pre-school proposals while many other taxpayers wouldn’t have to. Mayor Ballard also ducked answering questions about what the City would do to deal with young people truant from school or whether the mayor was actively talking with other Marion County school districts about being a part of his pre-school proposal.

Mayor Greg Ballard with Teacher and preschoolers at Eliza Blaker IPS School 55